Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Drive On!

April 12, 2007

Brett Miller Scores Ten Wins at Northfield
Brett Miller etched his name in Northfield's and harness racing's all-time record book with 10 winning drives on Northfield Park's 13-race program on Wednesday night, April 11. The 10-bagger tied the all-time record for driving victories on a single racing program at a commercial racetrack. The feat was accomplished twice at Northfield by Walter Case, Jr. (1999 and 2002), twice by Dave Palone at The Meadows (1999 and 2002) and at Northfield by Greg Grismore (2004).

When county fair racing is considered, driver Roger Hammer won 11 races at the York (Pennsylvania) County Fair in 2003. Brett Miller's cousin, David Miller, also had a 10-victory day at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fair in 2003.

On an unseasonably cold night during what has been a well-documented horrendous stretch of spring weather in Northeast Ohio (just ask the Cleveland Indians), Brett Miller kicked off the Wednesday evening card at Northfield by winning the first four races. His mounts finished sixth and fourth in the next two races, but then Brett rebounded with back-to-back wins to raise his tally to six victories through eight races. He led all but the last step of the ninth race when his charge was nailed at the wire in a photo finish. He then ended the 13-race program just as he began it -- with four straight victories to equal the all-time mark.

He matched the record with Frank Scarl-trainee Cadillac Connection in the final event of the night, romping home by a six length margin. The rain-and-mud-soaked reinsman was all smiles in the winner's circle saying, "I was lucky to drive some good horses tonight, and I managed to put them in some good spots."

He was also honored to be in the company of some of the sport's best drivers, with whom he now shares the record. "I love all those guys, and have grown up driving against them."

A 33-year-old native of Columbus, Ohio, Brett Miller raised his lifetime victory total 4,240 on Wednesday night, good for over $20.7 million in purses.

Hard Drivin' at Dover
Musclesextrodinair, the half-brother to O’Brien award winner and $1.3 million earner Casual Breeze, showed his class romping to a 1:54.3 victory in the $27,500 Open Handicap trot on the final Wednesday card of the meet tonight at Dover Downs. On the same program North America’s leading driver Tim Tetrick won seven races while Tony Morgan took three.

Dover Downs will host its last live card for the 2006-2007 season tonight. The card will be headlined by two $110,000 (U.S.) Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund (DSBF) Three-Year-Old Trot finals for fillies and for colt and gelding trotters.

Burning Point Gets Richer
With her second place finish in the first leg of the Classic Series at Dover Downs on Monday, Burning Point became just the third Canadian-sired standardbred to surpass $3 million in lifetime earnings. The daughter of Camluck from the Falcon Seelster mare Tour De France, now boasts $3,016,844 in purses earned. She joins Peaceful Way ($3,202,435) and Boulder Creek ($3,050,892) as the only Canadian-sired harness horses with the distinction of being millionaires three times over.

Trained by Steve Elliott for the Cuzzins Stable of Florida, Burning Point currently sits fourth among distaff pacers for lifetime earnings behind Eternal Camnation ($4,129,390), Bunny Lake ($3,068,733) and Loyal Opposition ($3,021,108). Burning Point was bred by Lynden, Ontario's Fred Drouillard, who has a two-year-old full-brother to Burning Point - Blazing Past - currently in training.

Palone Injured in Spill
The injury suffered by Dave Palone in a mishap Tuesday night at The Meadows was diagnosed as multiple fractures of the upper right femur, more commonly known as the thighbone.

Palone suffered multiple fractures of the upper right femur. Palone's wife, Bethann, who spent the night with him at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, said doctors will perform surgery tomorrow to insert a rod and pins. She said they currently believe they can accomplish everything they need to in a single surgery.

She said the injured leg won't be able to bear weight for six weeks, a period that will be followed by further rehabilitation. While the length of that rehab cannot be estimated yet, it may be shorter for Palone than for most, thanks to his excellent physical condition and the help of his wife, an occupational therapist by profession.

“As soon as he's medically stable, I want to bring him home and help him,” she said. “I told him, 'That's why you married me. You'll be as good as new.'”

The accident occurred in the final race of the Tuesday card when Hannington, driven by Greg Wright, Jr., tried to move between horses approaching the final turn and fell to the track. Palone and Be Dreamin, progressing along the inside, could not avoid colliding with the fallen horse. Be Dreamin stayed upright, but Palone was hurled from the sulky and bounced hard off the racing surface.